Chuck Schumer recuses on Comcast-Time Warner deal

After previously coming out in support of Comcast’s proposed $45 billion acquisition of Time Warner Cable, Sen. Chuck Schumer will recuse himself from weighing in on the proposal because of family ties to the deal, Capital New York reports.

A weekend report highlighted Schumer’s connection to the merger through his younger brother, Robert, who is one of the primary attorneys involved as a partner at Paul Weiss — something Schumer’s office said the senator hadn’t known about.

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“As Senator Schumer and his brother had never discussed the matter before, the piece in American Lawyer was the first Senator Schumer learned that his brother had worked on the deal,” said Max Young, a spokesman for Schumer, in a statement, according to Capital. “Now that he’s aware of his brother’s involvement, Senator Schumer will recuse himself from Congressional consideration of the matter to avoid any appearance of bias.”

Schumer, a Democrat and member of the antitrust subcommittee, backed the deal in a statement on Thursday, saying he was “very pleased with the news that Comcast is fully committed to following-through on previous commitments to jobs, particularly the job additions coming to Buffalo at Compass East.”

Comcast held a conference call Thursday with lobbyists and consultants to begin forming a strategy on how to overcome hurdles in Washington as Congress considers the deal.